Redress bill H.R. 442 gains a co-sponsor, and the 1986 JACL convention

Vol. 103, No. 6, August 8, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue

The campaign for redress ran through this issue. Rep. William Coyne of Pennsylvania became the latest co-sponsor of H.R. 442, bringing the total to 138, and the California-Nevada United Methodist Annual Conference adopted a resolution backing the redress bills. Grayce Uyehara wrote about religious organizations lobbying the House Judiciary Committee, and Robert Shimabukuro reported on the convention’s Redress Workshop. New JACL president Harry Kajihara set out his priorities in his first column, and the paper introduced Lynn Sakamoto-Chung as its new editor.

More of the JACL convention is covered in workshops on anti-Asian violence, Nikkei parenting, women’s communication and U.S.-Japan relations. Elsewhere are a diorama of Manzanar built by two Vietnam veterans, a Nisei veteran of the 100th Infantry Battalion rescued from Skid Row, and reviews and columns on “Karate Kid Part II.”

What’s in this issue

National

• Pittsburgh Rep. Coyne Becomes Latest Co-Sponsor of H.R. 442, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. William Coyne of Pennsylvania became the latest co-sponsor of the redress bill H.R. 442 on Aug. 1, bringing the total number of co-sponsors to 138. The coalition-building effort involved Philadelphia JACL redress chair Sumi Kobayashi and other civil rights advocates working with LEC director Grayce Uyehara and Rep. Robert Matsui.
• Mink Remains on Council; Heftel Resigns Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Cecil Heftel resigned from Congress to run for Hawaii governor under the state’s resign-to-run law, while City Councilwoman Patsy Mink chose not to resign from her position. A special election to fill Heftel’s seat was set for Sept. 20, the same day as the state primary.
• United Methodists Adopt Resolution on Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California-Nevada United Methodist Annual Conference unanimously adopted a resolution supporting redress bills H.R. 442 and S. 1053 on June 13. The resolution was authored by Sansei clergy members Rev. Edward Ezaki and Rev. Mark Nakagawa and sent to the President and Congress.
• Hawaii Has Too Many AJA Teachers and Administrators, Committee Concludes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Hawaii Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights charged the state Dept. of Education with failing to respond to affirmative action policies, finding Japanese Americans overrepresented among teachers and administrators. Filipinos, Whites, Native Hawaiians and Blacks remain underrepresented despite a 1984 affirmative action plan.

Community

• Koreans Charge Dilution of Voting Power as City Council Okays Redistricting Plan, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. The Los Angeles City Council gave final approval to a compromise redistricting plan dividing Koreatown into three council districts despite protests from roughly 400 Korean Americans. Korean community groups argued the plan allows the council to escape accountability, while Councilman Mike Woo accepted placement in a new district to avoid running against a Hispanic candidate.
• Eden Township Reunion Set, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Eden Township JACL will celebrate its 50th anniversary Sept. 27-28 with a reunion of past and present residents including Eden JACL, ALCO, JAYS and AAYS members. The event includes golfing, bowling, a banquet with Rep. Robert Matsui as keynote speaker, and a community lunch.
• Nikkei Becomes Washington’s First Asian School Superintendent, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Marge Tokunaga Chow was named superintendent of the Richland School District, becoming the first Asian and one of only 17 women to head a school district in Washington state. She previously served as assistant superintendent of Kent schools after a career beginning at Seattle’s Beacon Hill Elementary.
• Memorial to Slain Student Rededicated, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Thong Hy Huynh Memorial at Davis High School was rededicated June 10 after being renovated by school officials and community groups COMIS Club and DARE. The memorial honors a Vietnamese student stabbed to death by another student in 1983 and has repeatedly been vandalized with racial slurs.
• Summer Festival Coming to S.F., by P.C. Staff, page 9. Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festival) will be held Aug. 16-17 and 23-24 at San Francisco’s Japan Center, featuring taiko performances, Bon Odori dancing, martial arts demonstrations, and a karaoke contest. The event is sponsored by the Japantown Merchants Association.
• Supervisor Thanked for Hiroshima Week, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Friends of Hibakusha and the Committee of Atomic Bomb Survivors presented a plaque of appreciation to San Francisco Supervisor Nancy Walker for sponsoring a resolution designating Hiroshima-Nagasaki Memorial Week. The event marked the 41st anniversary of the WW2 atomic bombings and included a paper crane folding project for peace.

Commentary

• Sacramento’s Asian Connection, by Maeley L. Tom, page 1. The author describes the history and growth of the Asian Democratic Legislative Staff Caucus, which serves as a liaison between the Asian Pacific community and the California State Legislature. The piece highlights increased Asian representation among legislative staff and Speaker Willie Brown’s Asian appointees to state commissions.
• A Day with Monet, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. The columnist recounts his experience viewing an exhibit of French Impressionist paintings collected by Russian art collectors, brought to Los Angeles by Armand Hammer. He describes the crowded conditions and reflects wryly on the commercialism surrounding the Soviet-owned artworks.
• The Pre-Convention Lull, by Bill Marutani, page 4. The columnist recounts returning to Chicago before the JACL convention and revisiting old haunts from his university days, noting how much the city had changed since the 1950s. He describes searching for his old wedding chapel and an encounter with a family at the Art Institute.
• More Sachi Seko, by Jean Wakefield, page 5. A reader writes expressing appreciation for Sachi Seko’s writing and asking whether her essays have been published in collection form. The letter references a previous emotional article titled ‘The Last Nicholas Story.’
• An Affordable Convention, by Allan Hida, page 5. A reader from Milwaukee commends the Chicago Chapter for organizing the National Convention but criticizes the high costs of attendance, which limited his chapter to sending only one delegate. He suggests holding future conventions on university campuses to reduce costs for attendees.

Obituaries

• Law Professor Sho Sato Dead at 62, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sho Sato, a UC Berkeley law professor interned at Tule Lake during WW2, died July 27 after a long illness. He pioneered Japanese-American legal studies collaboration and served on the California Law Revision Commission.

Military & Veterans

• Down-and-Out Nisei Vet Gets Help, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 3. Motomu Musashi, a 64-year-old veteran of the 100th Infantry Battalion, ended up homeless on Skid Row after being evicted from a Little Tokyo hotel, but was rescued with help from Little Tokyo Service Center staff and fellow veterans. He was eventually connected with VA care and relatives in Hawaii who had been searching for him for 40 years.
• VFW Commanders Remembered, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fourteen Nisei posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars dedicated a living memorial to past state commanders Alva Fleming and Hisao Masuyama on June 22 in Sacramento. Fleming helped form 14 separate Nisei VFW posts in California, while Masuyama was the first Nisei to serve as VFW state commander.
• Dept. of Defense Official Retires, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Steve S. Yamamoto retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency after 45 years of federal service in a ceremony at the Pentagon on March 28. His career included interrogating Japanese POWs during WW2 and serving on the prosecution staff of the International Military Tribunal in Tokyo.

Incarceration & Redress

• Manzanar Recreated in Miniature, by Naomi Hirahara, Rafu Shimpo, page 3. Vietnam veterans Bob Hasuike and Lance Matsushita spent two years creating an 8-by-8-foot diorama depicting all 800 buildings of the Manzanar internment camp. The model, to be exhibited at the Japanese American National Museum during Nisei Week, was built with input from former internees who sometimes wept upon seeing it.

JACL

• Introducing Lynn Sakamoto-Chung, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Lynn Sakamoto-Chung of Los Angeles was appointed editor of the Pacific Citizen by General Manager Harry Honda, with approval from the PC Board. She previously worked as a staff writer and assistant city editor at the Wave newspaper and holds the Norman Topping Scholarship from USC’s journalism school.
• Starting Off, by Harry Kajihara, page 5. The newly elected JACL national president thanks the Chicago Chapter and Midwest District for hosting the convention and outlines his priorities for the biennium: pursuing redress, increasing membership, and developing a broader funding base. He emphasizes the importance of grassroots support for the LEC’s redress efforts.
• Lobbying Religiously, by Grayce Uyehara, page 6. Fourteen religious organizations within the Washington Interreligious Staff Council sent letters to House Judiciary Committee members urging support for H.R. 442. The author urges JACL members to use the August congressional recess to meet with representatives and continue letter-writing campaigns before Congress adjourns.
• LEC Board Nominees Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 6. JACL-LEC is seeking nominees for two at-large board positions by Sept. 15, as the terms of incumbents Shig Wakamatsu and Grant Ujifusa expire in November. Three JACL representative positions are also expiring, with Harry Kajihara automatically filling one seat as national president.
• Redress Workshop Highlights Coalition-Building Strategies, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 6. At the JACL convention’s Redress Workshop, Ralph Neas of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and David Roth of the American Jewish Committee discussed bipartisan coalition-building strategies for passing H.R. 442. Bill Marutani and LEC chair Min Yasui emphasized the urgency of grassroots lobbying efforts.
• Anti-Asian Violence Workshop Addresses Rising Threat, by Christina Adachi, page 6. Panelists at a JACL convention workshop discussed the rise in anti-Asian violence nationwide and the importance of coalition-building among Asian and other minority groups. Speakers from Boston, Houston, and Los Angeles described regional patterns of violence and community responses.
• Nikkei Parenting Workshop Explores Generational Conflicts, by Patti Adachi, page 6. Dr. Toaru Ishiyama led a workshop on Nikkei parenting, exploring the tension Nisei parents feel between traditional Japanese child-raising values and modern Western approaches. Participants discussed conflicts between values like filial piety and independence through small group exercises.
• U.S./Japan Relations Workshop Addresses Trade Perceptions, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 7. Panelists Nagao Hyodo of the Japanese Embassy and William Piez of the State Department discussed misconceptions about the U.S.-Japan trade deficit at a convention workshop. Both speakers emphasized the positive aspects of the bilateral relationship and dispelled myths about Japanese resistance to buying American goods.
• Women’s Concerns Workshop Focuses on Communication Strategies, by Patti Adachi, page 7. Dr. Joanne Yamauchi led a workshop contrasting traditional Asian and Western communication values, offering strategies for Asian American women and men to develop assertiveness skills. She provided specific techniques including the ‘broken record’ strategy for saying no and creating action plans.
• Northern California Student Wins Speech Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Kim Suyehiro of Sunnyvale won first place in the extemporaneous category at the JACL convention’s Speech & Forensic Competition with a speech on Asian Americans as the ‘model minority.’ Sheila Sakakura won first place in the prepared category speaking on human and civil rights.

Arts & Entertainment

• At the Movies, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The columnist recounts taking his grandchildren Steve and Stephanie to see ‘Karate Kid Part 2,’ detailing the challenges of babysitting a restless three-year-old during the film. He praises Pat Morita’s performance while humorously describing the concession stand costs and his granddaughter’s antics.
• ‘Karate II’ Light But Likable, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 12. The reviewer praises ‘Karate Kid Part II’ for providing a pleasant change of pace by featuring an Asian hero that audiences cheer for, with Pat Morita bringing humor and dignity to his role. While the plot is melodramatic and not entirely believable, the film’s move to Okinawa expands Miyagi’s backstory and showcases several Japanese American actors.

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